Details about the offer

Have you applied to other universities you consider very close, ‘on par’ or even better than oxbridge? (Ivies, Sorbonne, LSE..others for different subjects) yes

Have you received offer(s) from them? yes

offers from durham and york, the usuals but preferred oxford.

Applied to Cambridge the year before, but didn’t get made an offer, only decided to take a year out as a last minute decision as I didn’t want to go to Edinburgh (my back up) finally decided Oxford to fill in my 6th space and bizarrely got in.

So if you want to reapply it can be done, but I can’t say that it would work in all instances – plus if you want to reapply you have to ask yourself if its something that you want to take a gap year for.

Have you met the offer? offer met

Decisions about the application

For what reasons did you apply to Oxbridge?

Reputation, quality of teaching

Why did you choose this course?

Best in the country

Why did you choose this college/make an open application?

Open application – I wasn’t really that interested in which college, the all girls thing isn’t as bad as i thought it would be, so it all turned out okay!

Preparation

Did your school/college give you any extra tuition or help prior to your interview or application? no

Do you have any advice for future applicants in terms of preparation?

Read over any texts that you mention in your personal state and make sure you an answer at will on all the major issues.

Interview

Did you have to sit any pre-interview exams (LNAT/BMAT/..)? no

Did you have to submit any written work prior to the interview? yes

2 college essays and an essay that I had done on my year out…. seeing as no=one writes essays on their year out, I used my A2 coursework.

Did you have to take any exams as part of your interview(s)? no

How was/were in general your interview(s)?

The first one was appalling, the first one was really interesting.

What questions were you asked during your interview(s)?

First Interview, the role of woman in chaucerian poetry, went absolutely terribly and had to blag my way throughout. She gave me an unseen text to anaylse, she asked me questions on this to expand my theories.

Second Interview with two tutors, discussed Milton and Sylvia Plath bizarrely, was interesting and felt quite enthusiastic, which I think is the most important thing to get across to a tutor who could potentially be teaching you – they don’t want to work with someone whose unresponisve or doesn’t care/ have a passion for their subject.

What did you wear to your interview(s), and why?

Skirt, white shirt and heels, formal but not too smart. However, I’m the sort of person who feels more confident if I’m dressed smartly, some people feel more relaxed in clothes that are slightly more casual.

Impressions

How did you find the tutors in the college?

Terrifying – some of them still scare me to death, but they’re not ogres. If they are scary it’s just due to the amount of work they have to get through, making them stressed – don’t take it personally if they’re in a mood!

Generally, what were the college students like (from what you saw of them)?

Friendly and chilled out.

Looking back

If you were to re-live that year of your life again, would you still apply?

What advice do you have for potential applicants based on your experiences?

Just enjoy the experience and realise that life doesn’t end at Oxford or Cambridge. Show a real interest and passion for your subject. English is particularly not about ‘right’ answers, they want to see that you’ve thought about your interests and have original ideas.

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